Kataang One-Shots

Talent

Exhausted, Aang sluggishly walked into his home. He had spent his day trying to scope out a wanted criminal, Terish. Terish had a long list of crimes, mostly surmounting in burglaries and planned assault, and sadly, had resulted in a few fatalities. Taking this into account, Aang decided to step in and try to capture Terish himself. But even the Avatar himself couldn't catch him. Because as Aang had returned to his home, he was bloody, limping, and coughing.

Upon opening the front door, his three kids came tumbling down the stairs to greet their father. They jumped onto Aang. Usually, Aang was able to hold them in his arms. But this time, Aang sank to the floor upon their greeting. He was doing his best to hide the pain and to stifle his upcoming cough. He was holding back on his yelp, so instead, he squeezed them all tighter.

Katara had heard the door opening and saw as their kids left to greet their father. She stood up and started walking to the front door where all the commotion was. But seeing him, she saw a bruised, scathed man.

He saw her approach, and with his teeth clenched, he mouthed, "Help."

Worried, she rushed over immediately, saying, "Come on, kids, let's go to the living room for a while."

Being rushed out of the foyer, the kids became distressed about their father's condition. They now saw the blood on his hands and face as they departed. They could see their mother's desperation, and it made them afraid.

Aang was still hunched on the floor, hugging his side. Katara was looking for an Air Acolyte to look after the children while she had to help Aang. She returned to Aang, who was trying to stand up. Rushing to his side, she helped him stand up.

"What happened?" She asked frantically, examining his wounds.

"I had a run-in with some of Terish's goons. I'm fine, Katara, don't worry about me."

"No, you're not okay! You're bleeding, and you could barely stand up on your own!"

Aang relented, and with help from her, he walked to their bedroom. Taking off his shirt, Katara could see a large bruise forming across his stomach and a matching one in his back. His lightning scar from Azula was puffy and swollen as well.

"Sweetie, what did they do to you?"

"Nothing serious, I'm just a little sore, that's all."

Pushing into his swollen scar, Aang tensed up and winced.

"Oh, a little sore? Aang, you couldn't even pick up the kids! Please don't tell me you're going back out tomorrow," she pleaded.

"I have to. The situation's getting out of control!"

"Let Toph and the Metalbenders take care of this. The world can't lose its Avatar! And we can't lose you either."

Katara took some water from the bathroom sink and began healing his bruises. Aang sighed.

"I promise I'll be more careful, Katara. But I can't let Toph do it on her own. More lives are at stake, and I have to take care of them."

Katara continued to heal the cuts and the assortment of bruises across Aang's body. She finished and took the water away and bent it into the sink. Aang stood up, stretching, feeling much better than when he came home.

"Come on. The kids must be worried," Aang stated, opening their bedroom door.

Katara followed Aang out, worried about Aang returning to dealing with Terish. She was concerned that he would get further injured or worse. But, that wasn't the most pressing topic at the moment. They had to attend to their children. It was not like Aang to immediately head to the bedroom with cuts and bruises.